Browsing Tag

ocean

Diary

Find Out What You Really Want

05/21/2010

Have you ever walked to the ocean, when no one else was in sight? The seagulls aren’t even awake yet and all you hear is the roar of waves crashing against the rocks? The sand is still cold because the sun has yet to emerge from the horizon, the sky is still gray. All you hear is that deep, rolling thunderous noise of the tide coming in.

And all you can think is “Woah.”

sandtoes

Because you see, with your own two eyes, just how big the ocean is. That it’s so much larger then you originally thought. Sure, textbooks may have taught you that our Earth is mostly water, but now you’ve seen it.

I definitely had my own, ocean-sized ‘Woah’ moment last night.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ashli Jade, I’m an on-again-off-again blogger living in the suburbs, which has led to several cases of same-house-syndrome ( Ever walked into one that wasn’t yours?) as well as- in combination with other things going on- mild and moderate depression.

My parents had met in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The second most populous city in the state and you still have to drive an hour to Denver if you want to do something worth your time. They married shortly after I was born, and soon after a separation between the two landed myself, my newborn brother, and my mother in Sacramento, California with a strange old woman who smelled of something she called ‘spinach’ and hung lowercase Ts in every room and made us touch our foreheads, chests, and shoulders before eating ( I would later learn that she was my grandmother).

Eventually, a divorce was issued, which brings us to them now living on opposite sides of the same street and me not remembering a time when they were together. You’d think, after sixteen-seventeen years I would have gotten over the fact that I never really had a family. That I would have found some way to cope after all that time. But the truth is what I didn’t know what a family was, or what I was missing. I had been under the impression that what had happened was what was supposed to happen ( Don’t get me wrong. Both my mom and my dad are amazing people and we love each other very much and so on and so forth.)

The shocking thing was, as I got older and became more associated with other people and their families, and saw what they all had in common that mine didn’t ( ” You eat Thanksgiving dinner together?”), I never really became resentful toward the situation, sometimes upset, but strangely never bitter towards them. And that’s where our story begins.

For as long as I could remember, I’ve had one mission and one mission only: Get a boyfriend. In second grade, all I wanted was a boyfriend, and the same goes throughout the years until about midway through my sophomore year of high school. As I continued getting older, the obsessive goal had become more and more intricate. Suddenly, I didn’t just want a boyfriend, I wanted a high school sweetheart who I would get married to and we could have a healthy relationship and nothing would ever go wrong.

Crazy thing was I never really got one. Of course there had been flings here and there, but I was far too picky. No one that crossed my path lived up to the ridiculous expectation.

But never once did I question why I had wanted it so badly. Yes, all my friends were always in loving relationships, but they all also had horrible piercings and self-done tattoos and I didn’t want any of those.

Last night, something came to the surface. It was never about having a date on Friday night. It was never about just having a boyfriend, that’s not what I wanted. I had wanted my own family. My own family to have holiday dinners. My own family to sit with at church. My own family.

Currently, do I know that I have a family? Yes. Did I have to date someone to find these wonderful people? Absolutely not.

But that it isn’t the point of this.

The point is that sometimes, if not all the time, we need to ask ourselves why. If we don’t, we may spend our lives trying to accomplish something that isn’t worth our time, nor is it what we really want. Because if you don’t ask why, by the time you realize that that what you’re really striving for isn’t what you want, but the feeling associated with it, you will have already wasted to much time and energy you could have put into doing something you love.

Money, fame, significant others, luxury items…They don’t emanate some healing force that magically cures unhappiness or illness. They don’t make you young and full of energy.

Ask yourself why, and keep asking yourself why you want what you want, why you’ do the things you do, and eventually you’ll come to the bottom line find feelings that you’ve been chasing, and you can decide whether or not it’s worth going after. Or if you’re going after it the right way.

Visual Splendor

Visiting Florida the Kitschy Kingdom

08/20/2009

Oh my Florida, pan handle! Nearly surrounded by beaches and golden balls of sunshine on orange trees. The sunshine state is also the kitsch capitol of the world. “Florida is the land of pink flamingos, bathing beauties, palm trees, coconuts, and beaches.”

Miami

MIA aka Miami is the city of delicious candy-coated, art deco cafes, shops and hotels on the beach. “Miami is an international city. It’s not only the business capital of the Caribbean Islands, but also a playground for wealthy European, Central American, and South American travelers. Miami attracts more foreign visitors than any other U.S. city.”

Beaches upon beaches!

There are so many fabulous beaches in Florida that you can find something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a tropical getaway or a party beach, you can find the perfect spot on the sand (or rocks/tide pools) for you.

Key West, Florida Keys

Cat circus, cute-neighborly bars on the ocean, cotton-candy coated homes and kitty cat mosaics hidden within even the drugstore’s architecture. A favorite paradise.

“The Florida Keys are famous for harboring such historical luminaries as playwright Tennessee Williams, novelist Ernest Hemingway, and bird-chronicler John James Audubon. In truth, aspiring artists continue to be drawn to the Keys. They come not just for the spectacular sunsets and stunning wildlife but for the free-spirited way of life embodied by the Keys. That spirit is evident at the many festivals and events you will find listed on our cultural calendar. Here you can visit a tiny gallery, take in a community play, enjoy an open-air festival or attend a symphony orchestra. You’ll find that the Keys are rich in cultural opportunities. ” – Florida Keys

Orange Groves

Mmmm! Do you dig the cirtrusy candy-sweet smell or would you prefer just the taste of an orange grove cookie?

Disney World

You get free admission on your birthday and a bit of special treatment, a definite time to book a trip to the happiest most magical rainbowland (besides my home) in the USA.

Coconut Palm Trees

In Miami the fallen coconuts are layed aside with straws stick within their broken shell, sipped dry of their delicious cocomilk (there is a nut inside of the fruit, filled with a layer of white coconut and sweet watery cocomilk) they are left for useless but create a cute visual memento for passersby.

“Coconut Palm is one of the finest Florida Palm Trees. It is native to the Malay Archipelago or the South Pacific. Coconut Palm is also the most recognized palm in the world.” – Florida Palm Trees. Coconuts??

Tropical Wineries

Florida has a rainbow of wines from every delicious tropical flavor you can imagine. Just think, orange, pineapple, coconut and key lime wines (similar to a margarita). Yum! Take a look at the assortment of wineries and visit the ones that sound tastiest!

Chinatown

The 1st Oriental Supermarket is the hot spot in Chinatown, 42,000 sq. ft., live seafood, fresh bakery and BBQ products, groceries, herbs & medicines, you imagine it and they probably have it hand somewhere. Other shops through the district include a CD & DVD store, beauty & facial shop, hair salon, travel agency, mobile phone store, karaoke, employment agency, realty company, advertising & marketing company, etc. available to serve you.hungry or in need of a tasty treat, just step into one of the delicious and inexpensive specialty restaurants to enjoy a cup of Boba Tea, some Taiwanese food, Chinese take-out, or even a cat-shaped sweet roll. (also hosts a number of special events to celebrate the Chinese Festivals)

Antique & Thrift Stores

Prime vintage kitschy deliciousness can be spotted everywhere here. One of these reasons is because it’s such a sunny, relaxing place to retire, many retirees get rid of their and their collected goodies here. Which leaves for absolute popculture art archeology, as Lala might proclaim.

Cute Architecture & Deco Decor

Cute art deco, salt-water taffy colored wonderland in the sunshine.

Florida Lifestyle

The Florida lifestyle is generally more relaxed than other rural areas, take it easy. Island living~

More Favorite Florida Fun

Dylan’s Candy Bar
Bear & Bird Gallery and Boutique
Carnival Cruise Lines
Everglades National Park — plan a picnic!
Universal Studios
Sanrio Stores SE
Sanrio Stores SW